PHOTOS: Tips to Buy the Best Camera for YOU!

You’re looking to buy a camera!

This article is the first in a series that I will be covering since there are some different tiers of cameras to look at depending on your needs and budget. Almost all cameras now can take both regular photos and video, some are better at one than the other – there are cameras out there for the Vlogger which are designed to capture the type of video that would be uploaded to the web. So, before you look for a camera think carefully about what the potential uses are for that camera. Many of us professionals have several cameras based on where we intend to use them.

Can I use my smart phone?

Many of the current mid- to high-range phones now have cameras that are more than adequate for people who need a point and shoot camera to take snapshots and videos. Small sensors and only limited changeable lenses cause these to be fine for many items but limited when compared to some of the new DSLR and Mirrorless cameras. Apple, Samsung, Google, LG and others are offering phones with resolution and intelligence in the cameras to get some good photos under many conditions. Low light, long range, and extreme conditions are still a struggle for the camera in your phone.

Better than a phone

The next step up would be some of the specialty point and shoot cameras. These include ruggedized and waterproof cameras from Fuji, Olympus, Nikon, and of course the sports cameras from GoPro, Sony, and others. These allow you to shoot in conditions unfriendly to a phone such as swimming, diving, biking, climbing, etc. Some of the phones are waterproof to 80 feet down. For many casual divers and snorkelers, this is all they need. For those with more significant needs, there are waterproof cases for most of the higher end cameras that we will discuss.

Some of the cameras included in this class are:

Fuji XP Series – cameras for underwater vary by depth and feature with the XP-140 specs:

• Waterproof to 82 ft., shockproof up to 5.9 ft, freeze proof to 14º F and dustproof ($170 on Amazon)

Olympus TG Series – cameras for underwater and tough conditions as above TG:

• Waterproof (50 feet /15 meter), dust proof, shockproof (7 feet / 2.1 meter), crush proof (100 kgf), freeze proof (14 degree Fahrenheit / -10 degree Celsius), anti-fog
• High resolution F2.0 lens, maximum 8x zoom, true pic VIII, back illuminated CMOS image sensor ($349 on Amazon)

GoPro Hero 9 – The GoPro Hero series was designed to be compact, rugged and provide many different mounting formats for everyone from bicyclists to surfers to skydivers, etc. They can provide excellent video and shots while doing activities that don’t let you play with the camera a lot while you are doing them.

There are others from many manufacturers. If you think you need one of these then you want to look over the current offerings. In many cases you can still buy an earlier model that will do the job but be less expensive than the current model.

Crossover/Bridge cameras

The next step up would be the crossover/bridge cameras. These are cameras with bigger sensors and in many cases wide zoom ranges. They aren’t quite up to the quality of the interchangeable lens DSLR or Mirrorless camera, but they package a lot in a single unit. The high-end units of this class are expensive but are fully self-contained and are used by some professionals when they are going to be in a place where they need versatility but can’t carry or change lenses to get the reach or breadth they need.

Sony RX10 IV – $1700

1. Type: Superzoom compact
2. Sensor: 1in
3. Megapixels: 1MP
4. Lens: 24-600mm (equiv) f/2.4-4
5. LCD: 3in tilting screen, 1.44million dots
6. Viewfinder: EVF, 2.36million dot
7. Continuous shooting: 24fps
8. Movies: 4K and Full HD
9. User level: Enthusiast/Expert

The Nikon takes a step down in the quality with a smaller sensor, but has the largest zoom range of any bridge camera out there – 125x. You can take a full size picture of something that would appear as a dot on your phone camera.

Nikon P1000 – $1120

1. Type: Superzoom compact
2. Sensor: 1/2.3in
3. Megapixels: 16MP
4. Lens: 24-3000mm (equiv.) f/2.8-8
5. LCD: 3in articulating, 921k dots
6. Viewfinder: EVF, 2,359k dots
7. Maximum continuous shooting rate: 7fps – Movies: 4K UHD

Still lower we have offerings from Canon – the PowerShot series, Sony – Cybershot series, Panasonic etc. These are less expensive and tend to have smaller sensors (less light sensitivity and overall quality) and much smaller zoom ranges but still impressive. They are also smaller and easier to carry.

Canon Powershot SX 740 -399

• 40x optical zoom with optical image stabilizer and zoom framing assist
• 4K video and 4K time-lapse movie
• 3 Megapixel CMOS sensor
• High-speed continuous shooting

Of all the cameras mentioned above, the Sony with its 1 in. sensor will deliver good quality pictures over a wider variety of lighting conditions. But you are paying a price equivalent to a interchangeable lens camera and a decent zoom lens.

The next article will go into the DSLR vs Mirrorless articles and cover the two major sensor sizes, full frame, and APS-C.

LKNConnect Staff Photographer John McHugh from Ocaid Photography is a photographer, musician, ex-senior geek, and is well-grounded in the Lake Norman community for the past 6 years.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by our writers belong solely to them
and do not represent LKNConnect.com, its publisher or its staff.